Chapter 3 - First Snow in Autumn I
The early morning rays of the sun peeked through the lilac velvet curtains. Those same curtains were gently fluttering with the soft gusts of sunrise.
Underneath the rustling, silk covers of a king-sized bed, Raiden Mei poked out her head. Her half-lidded violet eyes swept across the room slowly, as if she was questioning where she was.
The heiress blinked a few times before her senses caught up to her, reminding her that she was no longer in the realm of her dreams.
With a soft yawn, she pushed herself up, sat on the soft mattress, and stared out of the window at Raiden Manor's maze of gardens. When she did, it was as if the universe was waiting for her to awaken. The clouds parted and revealed the morning sun smiling down at her happily, greeting her with the utmost comfortable warmth. A most welcome warmth seeing that the chilly season of Autumn had just begun.
Mei remained in her spot, quietly listening to the chirping symphony of birds and the swishing of the breeze through tree leaves.
She let out another yawn before sliding out of her warm and inviting nest. Normally she would've turned around to make the bed but she knew that the maids were scheduled to wash and change her sheets later that day, thus she left it alone, proceeding to her private bathroom.
After several minutes, the doors slid open, and Mei re-emerged wrapped in a bath towel with water droplets still clinging to her long purple hair. Next, she made her way to the walk-in wardrobe, such a compartment would be the dream of most girls her age but the heiress had never thought anything of it. Why should she? Her life had always been for the lack of a better word, elite. Living in a luxury mansion, sleeping in the most comfortable of beds, eating the most nutritious and tastiest of foods, and dressed in the finest of clothes.
However, despite all of these luxuries, Mei never behaved like the other children from wealthy families who looked down on the ones who were in a lower social class. She was the complete opposite. She was kind to everyone around her, with a smile ever-present on her lips, and had a soft, gentle voice that could melt the hearts of anyone she came across. When not studying or practicing her kendo, she would even try helping out the maids and butlers around the manor with things such as cooking and cleaning. Sometimes it got to the point where the maids and butlers would have to report her activities to their boss before his daughter left them jobless. Ryoma would just sigh and shake his head before finding something for Mei to do for the rest of the day, with all parties knowing full well that this cycle would be repeated the next day at the earliest.
There was also the fact that no one, except her father, had seen her anywhere near miffed. An angry Raiden Mei seemed to be nothing short of mythical.
While many would think that the differences between her and the other high-class kids would cause a rift between them, it instead had the opposite effect. With the added bonus of her natural beauty, almost all of them were drawn to her like moths to a flame.
At home, despite Ryoma's efforts of blocking them, marriage proposals were coming in from all over the world. Out in public, it was the reporters and paparazzi chasing after her. In school, sometimes it felt as if the entire student populous would flock to her side, calling her 'The Princess of Chiba'. Of course, in reality, it wasn't that extreme…, but Mei knew that with a wave of her hand and a few words she could make it happen, however, her kind-hearted spirit prevented her from doing so. Although she would be lying if she said that the attention didn't annoy her at times. Despite her family's fame and wealth, she was only human and needed space to breathe. She knew that the reputation of the Raiden name was on the line every single time she was in public, so she pushed away all the negative thoughts and smiled gracefully through it all.
Unfortunately, this was the reason why she never had any friends. Proper friends. Sure she sat and hung out with some of her fellow students but part of her knew that they were only there for her status and reputation.
What was the saying? Keep your friends close but your enemies closer. A saying that was all too true and practical in the world of the rich and influential. An important lesson that was taught from parents to their children, and it showed at school, especially with the children of the wealthy class that hung around her every chance they had.
However, Mei was never close nor distant to anyone but her father, it had always been this way and it wasn't that bad, so why should she change now?
Perhaps, it was that occasional hollow feeling inside her… surfacing to whisper incomprehensible words in her ear…
…Wait what?
*SMACK*
Mei slapped her cheeks. Hard. It was too early to be so deep in thought.
"Owww," she quietly whined, soothingly caressing the sides of her reddening face.
Well, if she wasn't awake before she certainly was now. She swiftly left the walk-in wardrobe with a pile of clothes in hand and dumped them on her bed.
It was the Chiba Academy female uniform.
Consisted of a sailor-type uniform with a pale yellow ribbon, the uniform itself could either be white or dark purple with the heiress choosing the latter, a dark-purple skirt and black thigh-high stockings with a pair of black shoes.
Moments later Mei left her room fully dressed, her school bag strapped over one shoulder. She glanced at the bokken carry case neatly stored in the corner of her room and left it there as she walked out the door. All clubs start on the second day of the new semester, so she wouldn't be needing it just yet.
From the moment she woke up to the moment she exited her bedroom, it was a routine she had done in the exact same order so many times, that she was sure she could do it perfectly while blindfolded. Contrary to the belief of so many, this was her life.
Nothing but repetitions each day up until the day she would take over her father's company as its new head, then there'll be another change in her schedule before the loop would start once again until she retires. Perhaps some other adjustments here and there as her life goes on such as getting married, most likely through arranged means, or having children. It didn't matter in the long run, this was the path that fate had laid out for her with no change in sight, a path that she had been walking since the day of her birth and will continue to do so until the day of her death.
"Good morning Mei-sama," a chorus of maids greeted, all bowing towards her.
"Hm?" Mei looked up slightly startled, her legs had been set on auto-drive while she zoned out, and only now did she realize she stood in front of the dining table, surrounded by a group of her family's maids.
"Oh, good morning everyone," she dipped her head sheepishly in return as she took a seat.
"Has father already left?" she asked while she began to eat the colorful breakfast already laid out for her.
"Yes, Mei-sama," the head maid answered, "About half an hour before you came downstairs,"
"I see," the girl pursed her lips before sipping on a bowl of miso soup.
Truth be told, Mei had long gotten used to it. It wasn't annoying. She knew her father loved her dearly, but to say Ryoma is a busy man would be a massive understatement. Running the top electrical tech company in the world was not an easy task by any means, despite his thousands upon thousands of workers. So she understood why he was seldom around, but sometimes, the purple-haired girl wished that they could sit down, and have a meal, or drink tea, or perhaps train together. Like they had used to before she entered high school.
A sigh escaped her lips as she finished her breakfast and placed her chopsticks down.
A young maid instinctively made her way to the heiress's side and retrieved the set.
"Ah!" Mei quickly shot onto her feet, getting the maid's attention, "There's still some time remaining so please, allow me to do the dishes,"
The young woman looked conflicted and glanced towards the head maid for help. Her senior co-worker understood immediately and trotted forward with a professionally packaged bento in hand, putting herself between her younger colleague and the purple-haired girl.
"No, not today Mei-sama," she said.
"But I—,"
"No buts, today is the first day of school after the break, the last thing we need is for you to be late," the head maid then shoved the bento into Mei's hands and quickly ushered her out of the room, "Now come on, I'm sure old Takayuki has already started the car,"
"O-Oh, well…thank you for making lunch today, Chisato-san,"
"Don't mention it, just make sure to study hard alright?"
"Of course,"
Mei placed the boxed lunch inside her bag before proceeding to leave the manor, and it was just as Chisato had said, the head butler was awaiting by the limo.
When he saw her walk down the steps to the private road, like everyone else, he greeted her good morning before opening the door for her. Mei thanked him before settling upon the premium leather seats and placing her bag neatly beside her.
Before long the car took off, out of the Raiden Manor vicinity and toward Chiba Academy for the first time in two weeks.
From behind the tinted windows, Mei watched absent-mindedly as they zoomed past the modern forest of high-rising buildings. The people of Nagazora had already awakened and the city was bustling with people of all ages from all paths of life. There were stampedes of office workers and businessmen rushing to their jobs, groups of senior citizens on their regular morning stroll, and swarms of students, some rushing to catch the subway or bus while others took their sweet time. Mei tried hard to deny it, but she felt a tinge of envy at the sight of a group of boys and girls, chatting and laughing with each other as they walked together to school.
"Mei-sama,"
Suddenly, Takayuki spoke, catching her attention.
"Yes, Takayuki-san?"
"Has Raiden-sama told you yet?"
"About what?"
"Your new bodyguard, Mei-sama,"
"My new…bodyguard?" Confusion took over her features for a brief second as she tried to remember if Ryoma had said anything about it.
…
It was past 11 PM the night before, Mei was seated at her desk diligently studying when she heard a knocking on her bedroom door.
"Who is it?" she called.
"It's me,"
"Oh, come in," said Mei, glancing back to see Ryoma who was closing the door behind him.
"How are your studies going, Mei?" the older Raiden asked as he strolled up to her side, peering over her shoulder at her well-organized textbook of notes.
"They're going good father, I'm sure I'll be able to place first in the grade again this semester," the girl confidently claimed with a smile.
Ryoma returned the smile with one of his own as he patted her head, "Heh, that's my girl,"
Mei said nothing as she slightly and gladly nuzzled upward into his hand. It was rare for her father to check up on her like this and she couldn't help but feel elated by it.
She enjoyed the moment and the nostalgic feeling of his warm hands in her hair as they basked in comfortable silence for a moment before the CEO broke the ice.
"Hey, do you still remember the case of the disappearing students around Nagazora?" he asked, sliding his hand off his daughter's head.
Mei shifted her eyes away as she tried to recall that incident, and when it came back to her she nodded, "Yes, why?"
"Something tells me that whoever is behind it will make a return after school starts again?"
The heiress cocked her head, "How come? Didn't the police say that the whole thing had already been solved?"
Ryoma shook his head, "No, that's what they told the public to prevent any further panic. My sources confirm that they couldn't find any leads so they gave up on it. Which means the culprit is still out there, and that worries me,"
"It's okay father," said Mei as she grinned up at him, "I've been keeping up with my training daily. I can fend for myself so don't worry about me and concentrate on your work, okay?"
"While it's true you've gotten better at kendo, your hand-to-hand is still lacking and an assailant won't wait for you to pull out your bokken," explained Ryoma, "So I've assigned a bodyguard to be at your side while you're outside of the manor,"
"Eh?" Mei's bright purple eyes widened, "B-But isn't that too extreme? And won't it be awkward if I bring in personal security to school? People will start asking questions that may affect our family—,"
A brief snort of laughter from her father cut her off.
"You're sometimes a lot more like your mother than you think, Mei," he said, raising his hand to stroke her head once again and the girl averted her gaze.
"Don't worry, I took everything into consideration and I personally selected him so you can rest easy,"
'Him? So it's a guy?' thought Mei.
The CEO continued. "He's around your age and a well-disciplined boy with martial arts training. He'll also be attending Chiba Academy starting tomorrow so you'll be able to meet him then,"
"Well…if you're sure,"
Before Mei could react, she felt the warmth of her father's chest as he closed the distance, wrapping his arms around her shoulders with his chin resting on top of her head.
"F-Father?!"
A look of shock flashed on her face as it had been a while since their last hug, but it was a welcoming, familiar feeling and the girl quickly settled into it.
"I just don't want to take any more chances," Ryoma said softly, "Especially when it comes to your safety, Mei,"
His daughter simply nodded in his chest.
Suddenly, the ringing of a phone cut through the silence. Pulling away, Ryoma reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone, glancing at the caller ID. Mei swore she saw a sour expression cross his face for a moment before he smiled at her once more.
"Don't stay up too late, okay?"
"Okay,"
"Good night Mei," Ryoma looked back one more time before heading out of his daughter's room.
"Good night father," the purple-haired girl echoed.
She watched the door close before turning back towards her studies. The thought of having a bodyguard her age was soon pushed to the back of her mind, as the waves of physics, chemistry, and complex mathematics came forward.
…
"Oh right," Mei realized, snapping her fingers, "Father said something about that last night, but I guess I was too tired to remember this morning,"
Takayuki sighed with exasperation as a red light turned green, "Mei-sama, although your studies are important, please remember to take care of your health. Your health should come before everything else you know,"
"Okay, okay," Mei giggled at the butler's reaction.
"Heh, you really are your father's daughter, always overworking," Takayuki mumbled just loud enough for himself to hear.
"Have you met him, Takayuki-san?" the girl asked.
"I have,"
"So what'd you think?"
"I don't like him," the butler immediately answered, catching Mei off guard, "However your father thinks differently, and he trusts him. And I trust your father…," Takayuki then chuckled, turning to the intersection that led to Chiba Academy's front gates, "Heh, who knows, perhaps over time, he'll grow on me. He is my newest co-worker after all, kind of,"
"I see," mused the purple-haired girl as the limousine came to a slow stop.
"Well, I'll be going now," said Mei as she gathered her things and stepped out of the luxury car, "Thank you for dropping me off today, Takayuki-san,"
"It's no problem at all, Mei-sama, I'll pick you up at the usual place," replied the butler with a dip of his head.
Mei waved goodbye as the limo drove away, watching it disappear with a group of other luxury cars that no doubt belonged to the other elite families of Nagazora.
"Mei-san!"
The girl turned to see several members of the school's kendo club by the gate. She greeted them with her signature smile and walked into the school with them. Unlike the majority of the school, the members of the kendo club were tamer compared to her fan club, although she couldn't exactly call them her friends, they admired and respected her for her skill with the sword rather than her status as an heiress. Which was a breath of fresh air in this prestigious school where every wall had prying ears and judgemental eyes.
Soon, after an hour-long 'welcome back' assembly, the students of Chiba Academy of all year levels returned to their classrooms. The chatter in the hallways echoed throughout the entire campus, when she reached her class, 2-C, Mei waved goodbye to the rest of the kendo club members and proceeded to walk inside. It was only half full, but eventually, more students began pouring in. The heiress politely greeted her fellow classmates on her way to the blackboard where the new semester's seating arrangements had been posted.
Violet eyes scanned the arrangements, following the diagram with her slender finger until she found her name.
"First row…Oh! I got the window side," she said to herself.
It didn't take long to find her seat as all she had to do was turn around and there it was, being warmed underneath the gentle autumn sunshine pouring in from the windows.
Idle chatter continued from the hallways and into the classrooms. After getting settled Mei found herself pulled into several conversations with the students seated around her, talking about simple things such as food, movies, and the latest trends.
The bustling classroom went on for a while until the doors opened up and a middle-aged man wearing glasses and a suit walked in. Immediately the students stood at attention behind their respective desks, some of them even began flattening out their crinkled clothes and fixing their hair.
"Good morning class," the teacher greeted.
Simultaneously the class 2-C replied, "Good morning Amano-sensei,"
"Please take your seats,"
The sound of chairs scraping against the floor filled the room for a minute before silence took over as every student was now focused on the teacher who was sorting through a file in his hand.
After clearing his throat, he addressed the class.
"Welcome back to Chiba Academy my students. I hope that you all had a good two-week break, healing and refreshing your minds and bodies for the final semester of the year. This morning before we begin class I have an announcement to make that most of you might find odd. Although the last semester has just begun, we will be having a new student joining us today,"
This surprising announcement got the students to begin a ripple of whispering amongst themselves.
"Eh? Seriously? Now of all times?"
"Hmm, wouldn't that mean they're either rich or really smart,"
"You think it's a boy or a girl?"
"Who cares? As long as they're cute that's all that matters,"
Although initially, she was equally as shocked as her classmates, Mei had an inkling of who it could be. The night before, her father had informed her that her new bodyguard would also be attending Chiba as he was close to her age so the chance of it being him was rather high. Massive Electric Corporation was also responsible for supplying all of the academy's tech so the relations between Ryoma and the headmaster weren't bad, thus Mei wondered if her father had pulled some strings to place the mystery boy into the same class as her. However, like the rest of the class, she was curious about what this person looked like, the person that her father had picked out himself and praised as being 'well-disciplined'.
Just then, the teacher raised his hand towards the door and all eyes followed, "Please graciously welcome, the newest addition to Class 2-C,"
The door slid open and in he walked.
The majority of the girls gasped along with some of the guys while the other males groaned, and the class once again burst into a whispering commotion.
They had short, disheveled black hair, and a pair of golden-amber eyes. A lean, athletic build that the uniform did rather well in hiding. He wasn't too tall but he wasn't short either, standing at an optimal height. Although she would never say it out loud, Mei had to admit that he was rather handsome.
"Oh no, he's hot,"
And it seemed the girl sitting behind her heavily agreed.
Then Mei heard a nearby male student grumble.
"Ughh, a pretty boy new student, damn I thought this only happened in manga and anime,"
As the newest addition to their class walked up beside the teacher at the podium, Amano nodded and gestured to the seated students, "Please, introduce yourself,"
The new student turned to face the students and bowed, "Nice to meet you all,"
He then straightened back up, and his eyes swept over the room. Mei didn't know if it was her mind playing tricks on her but it felt as if his gaze had lingered on her for a split second longer. His lips curved up into a small smile as he continued.
"My name is Adam, due to familial circumstances I currently do not possess a surname. But I hope we can all get along,"
Seemingly not satisfied with the black-haired teen's introduction, Amano cleared his throat and decided to add in some extra bits, "Adam-san here comes from Shenzhou and is one of Chiba Academy's few international students. Incidentally, in his admission test, he scored an average score of ninety-five percent across all subjects,"
"What!? All subjects?!"
"N-Ninety-five?!"
"How the hell?!"
"So he's smart and not rich!"
"Oh no, he's even hotter,"
" *SIGH* Life's not fair…,"
"Silence!" the teacher ordered and the class obeyed, "The only other person in this class to get and maintain that score is Raiden Mei, so I hope that you all can be inspired and learn a thing or two from Adam,"
Amano turned to look at his newest student, "Now for your desk. A former classmate had to move cities so fortunately there is a new vacancy,"
Mei watched as the teacher raised his arm in her direction, she followed the line pointed by his fingers, and her eyes landed on the empty seat on her right.
"What!? The new kid gets to sit with the Princess?!"
"Why does the international student get to sit next to her!?"
"I keep telling you guys, these seating arrangements are rigged!"
"Awww, but I wanted to sit next to him,"
"Shut up! You're just a background character!"
" *SIGH* Life's not fair…,"
Adam ignored all their remarks as he made his way to his new desk.
Mei cast several glances at him as he took at his books and a pen.
'So this is him. the one father told me about… Hmmm, I feel like I've seen him somewhere before," the purple-haired girl failed to realize that she had been staring at the black-haired teen, 'I just can't recall where but I swear I have,'
The boy suddenly looked over and met her gaze with his own. Caught off guard, Mei instantly snapped her head back in the direction of the blackboard where their teacher was currently writing the contents of the first lesson.
'I'M IN SQUAD LEADER'S CLASS?!'
It was his first thought the moment he saw the familiar face sitting in the front row. The sunlight seeping in from the nearby window did nothing but enhance the heiress's natural beauty.
However, Adam had managed to stifle his thoughts, keeping his expression friendly as he introduced himself to his new classmates before sitting down…next to Raiden Mei.
'In her class and her desk-mate too? But then again… No doubt her dad had something to do with this. 'I guess he wasn't kidding about staying at her side at all times, huh,"
While he was taking out the materials he needed for the day, he couldn't help but feel that he was being watched. He took a quick subtly look around and his golden eyes met Mei's purple. Faster than he could blink, the heiress turned her attention back to the board.
'Was she…staring at me? I guess her dad must've told her about me already,' Adam flicked his eyes in her direction again as he opened a maths textbook, '...Agh… This feels so weird. Still, I have to talk to her at some point. I'm being paid for this and I can't be a mute bodyguard the entire time. Maybe I'll do it at lunch…there's still four hours until then so that should be enough time to mentally prepare myself…yeah, lunch it is,'
The sounds of pens and pencils scratching across paper, chalk pieces tapping on the blackboard, and the teacher's explanations echoed through each classroom within Chiba Academy. The clock ticked patiently and before he knew it the bell rang.
Before the teacher even left the classroom, the students of his class had already moved over to their friend groups or rushed out of the room for the cafeteria. The rowdy ambient sounds of a busy school day filled the space around him.
After finishing his notes, Adam shut his book and slid it into his backpack.
'Now's my chance,'
"Mei-san~,"
Adam looked up to see a small group of students at the door led by a girl with brown hair tied up in a ponytail. The heiress sitting at the desk beside him rose from her seat with a grin.
"Sachi-san, what are you doing here?"
"The team captain has called for a meeting, come on he wants everyone to be there, especially our ace," the brunette said as she leaned against the door frame, "Apparently it has something to do with this year's Cultural Festival,"
Mei nodded, trotting over to the kendo club members, "Let's get going then,"
Adam watched blankly as the purple-haired girl disappeared from view.
And just like that, his chance was gone.
'...Ah…there it goes…like a leaf in the wind…,'
With a quiet sigh, the black-haired teen was about to head out to find something to eat. That was his plan before being surrounded by a bunch of his curiosity-driven classmates.
He was not prepared for the bombardment of questions that followed.
"Adam-san, are you super good at studying?"
"What's it like sitting next to the Princess?"
"Does she really smell like lavender?"
"What province of Shenzhou are you from?"
"Is Arc City really as big as they say?"
"What do you think of Chiba Academy?"
"Do you play Gun Girls Z?"
"Can I get your number?"
"Do you need a tour of the school?"
"Do you have a girlfriend?"
Adam could only sit there with his mouth parted slightly. He had intended on being nice and answering their questions but the rapid-fire came from all sides. Each one was interrupted by another and blended with it to form a flood of incomprehensible chatter.
"I…uh…,"
Suddenly he shot up from his seat, "Sorry, I need to use the bathroom,"
The small crowd parted with surprise at his outburst as he quickly shuffled out of the classroom, and Adam soon found himself aimlessly walking through the hallways where the crowd had thinned out. He decided to wander the school to get acquainted with this new environment. As for lunch, he could always drop by a convenience store after school. He had previously taken a brief glimpse of the cafeteria menu's prices and one look was all it took for Adam to decide to either buy it outside or make it himself.
As he strolled through the halls, he took a glance out the window and spotted the kendo club below. The small group seemed to be taking their time and had only now walked across to the other side of the school and disappeared into the building that looked to be the gymnasium.
'Squad Leader sure is popular here,' Adam thought as he continued his walk, '...and I'm her newest bodyguard and according to her dad, I have to be at her side at all times when she's not at home… Wait, does that mean at her side, side? Or just keep her in my sights, side?... Dang it, I should've asked him to elaborate…aaaaand now my pay is in potential danger,' the teen looked out at the gymnasium again, '...It looks like she already has a small circle of friends so that's safety in numbers right?... And it's not like I can just stroll up and be all "Hi~, I'm being paid to protect you so I'm just gonna stand right here and follow you everywhere 'kay~?" That'd be rude and weird and awkward…..Aghh, I'm overthinking again aren't I…," With his eyes still on the gym building.
'But I really can't risk this job…it's too important and too great of an opportunity for me. An opportunity where I'll only benefit no matter which path I take… To either do nothing and let history take its course or…,'
Adam internally groaned as he scrambled around his brain for what to do next, 'Ok, ok fine… I'll just...keep her in my sights,'
With that decision made, the black-haired teen quickly made his way down the stairs, out the doors of the main school building, and navigated himself around toward the gymnasium, passing by the busy field where Chiba Academy students were playing soccer and several other buildings along the way.
Soon he stood in front of the gym and as he took in the sight, he had to admit it was a lot larger than he had originally expected. Then again, the main building was on the other side of the school grounds and the law of the universe states that everything must look smaller from a distance.
Although…
'St. Freya's student gym is bigger,'
Adam had briefly considered circling the gym in order to find a window to peek through, but that train of thought was thrown away before it was finished when he realized how questionable it would look if someone caught him in that position. The teen shivered at the thought of the potential, and hypothetical explanation - that would absolutely be at least a half-truth - he would give after being found out peeking into the gym like some underage pervert.
Thus, he went with the most normal decision.
Adam went on forward and proceeded to push open the doors, entering the gym's lobby. There were no lights turned on due to the natural kind happily coming in from the windows, but it was still fairly dim. From the entrance, Adam could already hear a bunch of voices coming from further within, which wasn't too much of a surprise seeing as it was the lunch break. If Chiba Academy was anything like St Freya, then students doing some additional training during this time wasn't completely out of the ordinary. The only difference was that these normal students were training for sports like volleyball, gymnastics, badminton, or kendo, to compete in tournaments ranging from regionals to nationals, and perhaps the most talented ones would proceed to the Olympics. Whereas the type of students he was more familiar with, were training to plunge blades or fire laser bullets into the skulls of Honkai Beasts and whatever else threatened humanity. Such as…
'...The Sky People,'
The images of red, black, and gray mechanical monsters from outer space flashed by his mind. It had been two months since he had last seen one, last fought one and last killed one. Or at least as far as he knew, he killed its mortal shell. After all, Lucheni wasn't destroyed, only its husk made of parts of St. Fontaine was, and if the leader of one of their thousands and possibly hundred thousand Recon Groups had that ability. Who's to say that their regular soldiers didn't possess this ability?
Being from the future had its perks, but there were triple the cons for one perk. Even if Adam decided to join the current Schicksal in their war against the Fourteen Herrschers, it would only be a matter of time before the Aliens invade. Taking in the factor of the Butterfly Effect, his appearance in the past could potentially speed up their invasion and have them bring in their full force of unparalleled numbers right from the start.
And when they…or more likely, if they defeat the Sky People. What comes next? During their confrontation with the Void Archives in the Arcane Castle. The Otto lookalike very briefly mentioned that there were beings even stronger, and far more technologically advanced than the Sky People. To the point where the alien invaders are even scared of them and took no risks in masking their presence anytime, and anywhere they're nearby. In time, will these other, more advanced civilizations come and attack the Earth, or are humans still too primitive in the eyes of the higher civilizations. The very civilizations that supposedly took care of their Honkai events without trouble.
He widened his eyes as soon as he realized what he was doing. Adam quickly slapped his cheeks, the sound of which echoed through the gym's hallways, and took in a deep breath.
'Stop thinking about it. Stop thinking about it. Stop thinking about it. They're not here yet. So stop thinking about it,' Adam chanted silently in his mind and moved his hands up to cover his ears as if it could muffle the whispering voices in his head.
Adam turned a corner and made his way up the stairs to the gym's second floor. The whispers of doubt started to simmer away, he knew that they would be back but that could be dealt with then, as right now, he had an heiress to watch over. The black-haired teen deduced that the second floor of the gym would be the best place. He could sit on the elevated bleachers, pretending he was resting as he looked over the gym hall, and that's what he did.
The interior of the gym was larger than any regular school, though that was expected as the academy was a prestigious one. It could fit four indoor basketball courts, and two volleyball courts, and that was only half of it. The other half was left empty for the gymnastics club and kendo club to train. The squeaking of shoes on the polished timber flooring filled the space along with students shouting orders and strategies to their teammates.
Adam sat at the very top of the bleachers, his golden eyes sweeping over the hall as he withdrew his phone. It didn't take long for him to spot his Squad Leader's younger version. She was sitting in a circle with around twelve other students, the boys and girls split evenly. They were discussing something that he couldn't hear no matter how hard he strained his ears, but that didn't matter, he just had to keep his eyes on her.
Just like that, the teen spent most of his break scrolling through his phone, sitting out of sight in the comfortable environment of the gymnasium, while looking up now and then to make sure Mei was still safe.
Eventually, the boredom started to creep up his spine, his phone screen black from inactivity, and he began zoning out, gazing ahead at nothing in particular. Eventually, he found himself dozing off, his eyelids started to grow heavy as he felt the cold, solid surface of the wall touching his back.
…
'...m,'
…
'...a…m,'
…
'Adam!'
'Huh?!'
A young, thirteen-year-old Adam snapped out of his zoned-out state. He found himself holding a pair of chopsticks, sitting at the dining table with a bowl of dumpling noodle soup in front of him.
Sitting on the opposite end of the table was a beautiful young woman who exuded the flames of elegance and looked to be in her early twenties or late teens. She wore a beige turtleneck sweater and jeans and had long, silky, blue-gray hair with wavy bangs that covered her forehead. Her sky-blue eyes peered directly into Adam with a degree of amusement.
"What do you think?" she asked propping her head up on one hand.
"U-Uh… The noodles taste great as always, Master Hua," Adam replied with a small grin and distracted eyes.
Fu Hua chuckled, "Thank you, Adam. But I wasn't talking about the noodles,"
"Ah…haha…ha?"
"You weren't listening were you?"
"I…uh…," the boy hunched his shoulders sheepishly, "No, sorry,"
"Is something weighing on your mind?"
"Oh nothing much…just thinking about the next season of Arahato Ninja Rebirth," Adam replied then groaned as he slumped forward onto the table, "Ugggh. Why did they have to end the last episode with such a giant cliff-hanger…,"
The martial artist had known the boy long enough to realize that he wasn't telling her the truth. His eyes would always flick to the upper right, which he had done unconsciously the moment he answered her.
She watched the boy mumbling to himself as he continued to slurp down the rest of his noodles. Keeping whatever was bothering him bottled inside for too long would be detrimental to his mental and eventually physical health. She had a slight hunch on what it was, but there was no way she was going to utilize Fenghuang Down on a child. So to hear the truth come willingly out of his mouth, she decided to pry it out of him in her own way. After all, it wasn't the first time she had to deal with orphaned children.
"So," she began again with a slightly more stern expression, "As I was saying, your grades at the Prep Academy have been steadily dropping since the start of the year,'
The boy flinched when he heard the word 'grades'.
"And your instructors have informed me that you've been slacking and daydreaming in all of your classes,"
Adam flinched again when he heard the word 'instructors'.
"That's quite a problem isn't it?"
With his mouth still full of noodles, the black-haired boy adverted his bashful gaze to the side, feeling his master's unreadable blue eyes stabbing into him.
"I know you can do better than this, but if you continue at this rate, you'll be expelled from the Prep Academy before the year ends," Fu Hua leaned back in her seat with a quiet huff while her arms folded, "What happened, Adam? I thought you said you wanted to join Schicksal,"
Silence hung in the air as the boy fiddled with his chopsticks for a while, staring into the bowl of noodles before answering.
"...Well yeah, I do wanna join Schicksal, but I don't wanna continue at the Prep Academy anymore,"
"Why not?"
"B-Because… Because everyone says that because I'm a boy. I won't be able to fight the Honkai Remnants and help protect humanity. Only the girls get to do the actual important things like fighting While I'll be stuck in an airship or base somewhere, sitting behind a screen all day monitoring and fixing the systems and stuff," complained Adam, getting more fired up and louder by the second, "And I hate the thought of that! It's like a stupid glorified office job! I wanna fight by Master's side and protect the world together! Is that too much to ask?!"
"Adam, listen, there isn't a single position at Schicksal that doesn't contribute to the safety of humanity. Operators, Researchers, Engineers, and Captains, all share the same amount of merit to that of a Valkyrie. Without them the Final Impact would've gone a whole lot differently," countered Fu Hua, who kept her calm but there was a tinge of worry.
"If you had kept up your grades and performance, you would've easily qualified to become a Captain,"
"But I don't wanna be a Captain!" the boy shot back, rising from his seat, "and I just said I don't wanna be sitting in the back while the real fight is happening out of my reach! I want to fight with my own strength!"
"There's a reason why boys aren't allowed on the frontlines you know. I'm sure that the instructors have informed all of you repeatedly at the Academy. A boy's adaptability to Honkai Energy is much, much lower than that of a girl's. They're just trying to find a way to keep you healthy and safe,"
"But that's only for 'normal' boys," Adam retorted.
Before he knew it, he loud voice was echoing through the residential area, "Master, you said it yourself that I have a gift! A higher adaptability rate than basically all the other boys in the whole world right now. You said my adaptability is the same perhaps even higher than even some Valkyries! And I'm always at the top of the combat class, so why? Why do I still have to be locked in a role that I won't be successful at?! Why—,"
He heard a sigh, then all of a sudden Fu Hua stood up, silencing the boy instantly. She walked around the table until she was behind him. Adam braced for something, anything, perhaps a smack to the back of his head or screaming into his ears. Now that he had stopped talking, he realized that this was the first time he raised his voice in a hostile way against the blue-gray-haired woman. However, all he felt was a pair of surprisingly soft hands, wrapping around his shoulders, and pushing him gently back down onto the chair.
"M-M-Master Hua?" he stuttered out as Fu Hua took the seat beside him.
Looking at her expression, he couldn't read it at all despite living and training under her for several years now. Was it anger? Annoyance? Melancholy? Perhaps, nothing at all? Tranquil as a spring lake?
The woman took the bowl of noodles and the pair of chopsticks in her hands. Adam watched with trembling confusion, unsure of what the situation at hand was.
Fu Hua picked up a dumpling that was dripping in broth and gently blew away the steam. With one hand cupped underneath it, she raised it to the boy's mouth.
His golden eyes widened, "H-Huh?"
"Aah,"
"W-W-Wha–?" Steam spewed from his ears as his face beamed red with embarrassment.
"Aaah~," Fu Hua repeated, this time prodding the dumpling to his lips.
Seeing that there was no other way around this, Adam submitted and chomped down with his sheepish gaze averted to the side. When he briefly flicked his eyes back at his mentor, he saw that she was now donning a small smile.
"Better?" she asked.
Adam looked away again. He mumbled an inaudible answer but curtly nodded.
"What I said to you back then is true, you are a special boy," said the gray-haired woman, reaching over to soothingly ruffle his jet-black hair, "But I never said your Honkai adaptability levels are on par or higher than the Valkyries. I said that if you train hard enough you'll be able to surpass many of them despite having a lower adaptability level. Yes, you have a higher rate than all other boys in this world, but that's because you were gifted with a Natural Stigma while the others were not,"
"Perhaps it's because the higher-ups have deemed you too valuable to humanity and irreplaceable, and that's why they don't want you to be on the front lines risking your life," suggested Fu Hua in her attempt to console her student.
The boy cast his gaze down in response.
"You want to avenge your village don't you?" she asked, her voice almost a whisper.
He nodded, though it was barely noticeable.
Fu Hua hummed. Through her experience, it was best to leave him to his thoughts for just a little bit longer. Seeing that the bowl of noodles in front of him was now empty, she picked it up and rose to her feet, maneuvering her way back to collect hers before heading around towards the kitchen. In the silent residence, the noise of a running tap, a trail of water colliding against ceramic material, echoed softly through the apartment. As she washed the dishes, she watched Adam slide off the seat and trudge back to his room.
The blue-gray-haired woman released a small sigh, focusing back on the dishes. She knew that at the moment, he was sinking into his bad habit of overthinking things, be it big or small. Ever since the day she met him five years ago that habit had always hung over him, enveloping him like a large shadow. She would be lying if she said she hadn't tried to rid him of it in the past. She wasn't very sure if it was successful as it hadn't been an easy task, but recently she had begun to notice that it wasn't as frequent as it had been five years ago. One step at a time, and one step closer to the finish line. Progress no matter minuscule was still progressing. She wasn't going to allow her ninth disciple to have a similar fate to that of her former eight. Especially because he—.
"Master Hua?"
"Hm?"
Fu Hua looked up to see the black-haired boy staring regretfully at her with large golden eyes.
"What's wrong?"
"I'm…I'm sorry for shouting just now, I shouldn't have done that. I know Master is just looking out for me and having my best interests in mind," he told her, averting his gaze away yet again.
"It's fine, Adam," Fu Hua replied softly, turning off the tap and drying her hands on a nearby towel, "It's been a long day and it's already late so just go to bed now, okay? We'll talk more about it in the morning,"
The boy nodded, "Yes, Master,"
Fu Hua waited until she heard the door to her pupil's room open and close before she walked to the living room and pick up her phone from the coffee table.
The device recognized her fingerprints and unlocked itself upon her touch.
She remained still as she looked down at the screen, contemplating whether her next choice is the right move to make. Fu Hua cast a quick glance over her shoulder towards the boy's room, then back down at the phone.
Having made up her mind, she dialed a specific number and placed it to her ear.
It rang several times as Fu Hua strolled over to the window of the balcony. The cool, pale moonlight gave her fair complexion and silky muted-blue hair an ethereal glow. Finally, the other side picked up.
"Good evening, sorry for bothering you like this so late at night," Fu Hua greeted.
The martial artist lightly laughed when she heard the response of the familiar voice on the other end who immediately began to vent, complaining about her stacks on stacks of paperwork and how a litre of bitter melon juice wasn't doing the job anymore.
"I'm doing well… Yes, so is he… Of course… That's right….. In time… Haha, perhaps… Hm? Why did I call?... Well…"
"I wanted to talk to you about St. Freya,"
*DING* *DONG* *DANG*
The school bell signaling the end of the lunch break echoed through the gym's expansive hall as Adam slowly blinked awake.
'Did I just fall asleep?' he internally groaned, rubbing his face and rolling his stiff shoulders.
He stood and observed as the other students made their way out of the gym, although some of them looked to be headed towards the bathrooms first.
Mei and the rest of the Kendo Club were nowhere to be seen, so the black-haired teen assumed that their meeting had already wrapped and they were heading back to class.
Adam followed suit, traversing with the crowd until they reached the main school building at split off into their respective classrooms. By the time he entered the room, most of his new classmates were already seated and preparing for the next lesson.
As he sat down, his stomach decided that this was the most optimal time to complain about its emptiness. Adam immediately clasped his arms around his gut, squeezing it hard in an attempt to stop it from reverberating any louder. When it sighed he relaxed his arms and sighed with relief before pulling his books out.
Unbeknownst to him, the purple-haired girl to his left had heard the grumbling and flicked her violet eyes in his direction. Without saying a word, she shifted her gaze back down to her notes as if she had heard nothing.
Seconds later, the teacher walked in and the afternoon classes began.
If Adam was being honest, the subjects taught to the second-years of Chiba Academy weren't anything new to him. Although there were slight differences here and there, subjects like maths and the various sciences were mostly the same as the ones taught at Schicksal Prep and St. Freya. The only major difference, once again, was that the latter two academies were focused on defending the world and learning about the Honkai. For example, in addition to regular biology, where they learned about human and plant anatomy, they had a class on the behavior of the various recorded Honkai Beasts and the effects of the radiation on the different lifeforms of Earth. Thus, to the black-haired teen, the lectures of a normal high school were rather, for the lack of a better word, dull.
However, that wasn't an excuse to doze around in class, he couldn't back out of being a student now, especially with the task Ryoma had assigned him, and so, Adam decided that while he was still here he'll do what he can to keep his grades up and keep watch over Raiden Mei. Also, he would be lying if he said he hadn't fantasized about having a normal high school life before, and thankfully, being a student here definitely scratches that itch.
Before long, the final bell of the day sounded and the moment their teacher gave them their word of dismissal, an excited bustle bloomed to life.
Adam slid his books back into his bag and followed the chattering crowd out of the building. Seeing as club activities don't start until the next day, there was a river of students flowing out the intricately-designed front gates. The majority of them split into their respective groups, eager to spend the remaining hours of light with their friends. Others looked to be heading straight home, perhaps to play video games or catch up on their favorite TV series or anime, or perhaps to just study.
On the road outside those gates was a line of luxury cars with their respective chauffeurs waiting just outside the driver's door. Only when their young masters and mistresses arrived, did they address them and enter their pristine vehicles.
'Oh, that's right, aside from the mentally and physically gifted ones who are here on scholarship, this is still a rich kid school,'
In the corner of his eyes, he spotted the Raiden family's head butler and a familiar head of purple hair bobbing through the crowd towards him.
Adam slowed his pace and watched as Mei greeted the butler with her signature gentle smile, which the senior man returned before she disappeared into the car.
'Guess that's mission accomplished for today,' he thought, continuing his leisurely walk back to his rented apartment.
It was only when his stomach once again reminded him that food is a necessity, did he change courses down another street towards the closest convenience store.
The automated doors opened, and it seemed that the store was rather popular with students which were made evident by the long line at the checkout. Adam shrugged, he could just wait a bit until it thinned out. He wasn't in a rush and this would also allow him more time to select what to eat for the next few days. The black-haired teen wasn't a picky eater but healthy eating was drilled into his systems, first by Fu Hua, then by Future Mei. It was something he had done his best to stick to and was rewarded by significantly better performances than the other St. Freya students during combat training, evaluations, and missions.
Now that he thought about it before he left for that life-changing mission to St. Fontaine, he had heard a rumor floating around campus ground that there was now a male student within the Top Five Overall Scores leaderboard and a male student at the top of the combat evaluation rankings. With him being the sole male student of St. Freya, he didn't even need a second to know who those rumors were referring to.
Eventually, the doors to the convenience store slid open again, and Adam emerged with two, full, plastic bags in one hand. The other was holding onto his phone as he scrolled through different pages and forums.
Nagazora was drenched in the deep orange hues of the descending sun, with the nocturnal dark blue sky beginning its slow, creeping, ascent.
Adam glanced at the time at the top left of his phone's monitor. It was only a little past four and night was nearly upon the city, though this wasn't a surprise seeing that they were moving into the colder seasons. Aside from the homework and self-study, there wasn't anything urgent for him to do that day and after slipping his phone back into his pocket, Adam decided to take a longer route home to enjoy the crisp dawn air.
Humanity was at relative peace with the Honkai for the past thirteen years, and knowing that the Third Eruption was more than likely to happen within the next few months, Adam took advantage of the fact and basked in the ticking tranquility.
He knew that eventually he would have to cast aside his all-new Chiba Academy Uniform for his old Schicksal Battlesuit, and replace the pen with a blade. He had to if he was going to survive the Eruption. Though his decisions on whether to include himself in the timeline or not had yet to be set in stone and fluctuated like a wild electrical current. It wouldn't take a genius to know that the path out of Nagazora would be one of pure, utter chaos, accompanied by violence and rivers of blood. Blood from Humans and Honkai alike.
Thankfully, the current peaceful state of the Far Eastern City provided Adam time and chances to clear and calm his thoughts. Especially with his bad habit of overthinking everything. Sure it got better over the years, but it would come back every now and then, especially after being thrown into the past so suddenly. So the teen decided to use this peaceful gap in time to simmer those old habits down.
Eventually, Adam left the path along the main roads and entered the narrower side streets where the noise of the afternoon traffic was beginning to soften out. The street lights flickered on, illuminating the formerly dim streets in their luminous pale glow. As if on cue, the moths and other small flying insects began to emerge from their daytime hiding places to congregate near the shining warmth.
Suddenly a feminine shriek reached his ears, cutting through the quiet and catching his attention.
Adam quickly found himself heading in the general direction of the shrill scream. He wouldn't exactly consider himself as a hero, just one out of the many defenders of humanity, but he wasn't one to turn away from someone who was potentially in trouble. All of his past mentors had taught him better than that, from the granny that ran the orphanage, to Fu Hua, and finally Raiden Mei.
'I'm just taking a look,' he told himself, 'If it's nothing serious then I'll just go,'
But what he saw in a dimly lit alley, after turning several corners, put a scowl on his face.
A group of teenage boys and girls, donning unfamiliar uniforms, were crowding around a fallen silhouette backed up against a wall. It was as if they were a flock of vultures, leering down at the prey whose life was slowly but surely slipping away. Their jeering cackles filled the area as one of their troupe walked forward and picked the silhouette up by their hair, eliciting another cry of pain.
Adam narrowed his eyes and through the barrier of legs and from the pitch of the agony-filled voice, he deduced that their target was a girl.
The dots were added quicker than lightning. He was witnessing a high school bullying case and a pretty severe one at that.
Coming from an orphanage, he was no stranger to bullying, having been on the receiving end several times and even assisted the victims in fighting back at other times. One could say that his 'fighting career' only started thanks to the bullies at the orphanage. But those cases usually were broken up quickly by the caretakers, and respective punishments were delivered no matter who was involved. Upon entering Schicksal Prep, he had only witnessed it happening a couple of times although most of it was only verbal. It didn't happen to him throughout his three years of attendance, perhaps it was because none of them wanted to mess with him after he dominated the Combat Ranking.
Finally, in St. Freya, he had not seen a single case of student-on-student abuse. Perhaps it was since all of them had the same shared desire, to defend humanity from any threats. Perhaps it's because many of the students all came from similar backgrounds, whether it was that their parents were (former) employees of Schicksal or Anti-Entropy, or whether their childhood had been demolished by the Honkai, all of them were united one way or another. It was this unity that allowed the Valkyries-in-training to forge closer bonds than any Adam had seen in any other school, perhaps even to intimate levels.
Either way, he was not a fan. Humanity shouldn't be fighting each other like this especially when their greatest threat was looming from the shadows of their advancing technology.
As he got closer to the scene, he could distinctively hear the commotion.
"You think just because you transferred you'd be able to escape us?!" snarled what looked to be the leader of the group. A tall young man with short, blonde hair, an ear-piercing, and a shark-like face.
Now that he could see most of the group clearly, he couldn't help but connect their appearances to those of that crew of delinquents from the other night. He wasn't familiar with the gangs of Nagazora, and it was quite a farfetched possibility but…is it possible that somehow they were connected?
Adam was also able to catch a glimpse of the girl that was subjected to their cruelty. She was slim and pale, with long, dark pink hair and eyes. The most notable thing about her was that unlike the owns surrounding her, she was wearing the Chiba Academy Uniform.
"You bitch! You realize you still owe us money right?"
The girl, through her pain, managed to stutter out, "I-I-I-I'm s-sorry…I-I'll pay you b-back…I p-promise,"
"Fuckin' better," the leader growled and drove his fist into her stomach. The girl was sent back and crashed against the wall. Her petite body immediately dropped to the rough concrete ground, no doubt scraping fresh wounds open across her arms and legs.
Her arms trembled as she tried getting back up, but her injuries weakened her severely. The crew laughed at her struggle. The leader once again marched forward and crouched down in front of her with an arrogant grin across his face.
"Or you'll be paying," the girl's eyes widened as she felt his repulsive fingers creeping up her thighs and below her skirt, "With thi—,"
Before he could finish his line, a sudden force collided with the side of his head, sending him flying back into his posse. Knocking them down like bowling pins, with a couple still standing.
"Aww, no strike?"
The students who remained standing snapped their heads in the direction of their attacker.
Adam was now standing in front of the pink-haired girl wearing a dark face mask that he had purchased back at the convenience store earlier that afternoon. Flu season was upon them so he had originally bought them to prevent himself from catching it at school. Wearing them to protect his identity never crossed his mind. But it never hurt to be safe, especially considering that he was currently donning a uniform that was famous throughout Nagazora.
"Who the fuck?!" the leader roared as he sat up in the tangle of limbs, clutching his purple, swelling nose with tears brimming in his eyes. He looked up to see the black-haired male student looking down at him, grocery bags still in hand.
"Did you guys really have to take up the entire path?" Adam asked, his golden glare piercing into the delinquent leader, who flinched under the pressure of his ferocious gaze, accentuated by the dark mask he had equipped.
The black-haired teen raised his grocery bags over his shoulder as he continued, "I have ice cream in here so I need to get back home quick. I'll be generous and give you all ten seconds to leave,"
"Like hell!" the leader growled as he stumbled to his feet only to fail miserably, tripping over his unconscious crew, "I've got some unfinished business with the bitch so why don't you fuck off!?"
"I'm starting to get deja-vu," Adam said to himself quietly before answering, "Can I say no?"
"Sure, and we'll fuck you up just like we did her! Get him!" the student delinquent ordered.
The remainder of his crew charged toward Adam, who in turn groaned and slumped his shoulders in annoyance.
In a span of five seconds, the remaining delinquents were splayed across the ground like broken starfish, and before their leader could say anything, Adam made sure to knock him out with a swift kick to the head.
"Y'know, if I had a penny for every time I fought a gang this month, I'd have two pennies. Which isn't much but it's weird that it's happened twice," he commented to no one in particular as he turned around to check on the fallen girl.
He pulled removed his mask, pocketing it, before stretching out a hand to help the girl up.
"Are you okay? They won't be bothering you anymore," he said, hoping that it would bring some comfort to her.
The dark-pink-haired girl stared up at him, and it was then that Adam saw the terror in her eyes. Whether they were directed to him or the unconscious student gangsters, he had no idea. But he could see that she was still shaking.
"...G-G-Get," she stammered.
"Hm?"
"GET AWAY FROM ME!"
The girl suddenly mustered her strength and shot onto her feet, slapping his hand away as she dashed away, snatching up her bag that had been thrown to the side, and ignoring the painful cries of her injured body.
"Hey–,"
Adam watched in confused shock, that was the last reaction he was expecting.
…He…He did the right thing, didn't he?
So why did she react like that?
Stumped, he remained rooted to the ground, casting his eyes in the direction of the fleeing girl.
Not knowing what else to do, Adam decided to continue his journey back home and put this brief event behind him.
Just as he was about to take off, he noticed something small and rectangular laying on the ground by his feet.
He picked it up and noticed that it was stamped with the crest of Chiba Academy.
'A student ID?'
Every student at Chiba Academy had one. It was compulsory to have it on you at all times and had multiple ways of usage. Those ranged from, paying for cafeteria food, paying at the stationery shop, or borrowing books from the library. Adam kept his safety tucked into his phone case.
Flipping the ID around, Adam recognized the owner.
He had just met her. That is if 'met' was the right word to use.
Even in the photo, she was barely smiling, her lips were curved though her eyes betrayed her facade.
[ Asakura Miyuki]
[ Age: 17 ]
[ Class: 2-C ]
…
…
…
The next morning, Adam walked through the front gates of Chiba Academy with his newest peers. Normally he would be scrolling through his phone, and occasionally checking the 'News' section for anything regarding Massive Electric. If he remembered correctly, that scandal wouldn't be happening for another two to three months, but it never hurts to check, especially when he slotted, him, the anomaly, and the butterfly effect into the equation.
Today, however, in his hand was the student ID he had picked up yesterday, fully intending to return it to its rightful owner, the girl named Asakura Miyuki. Who, coincidentally, was in his class. Adam couldn't exactly remember seeing her when he entered the classroom for the first time yesterday. But then again, he was more or less freaking out seeing the teenage version of his Squad Leader to notice.
When he arrived at the entrance of the Main School Building, Adam slipped the ID card into his pocket while undoing the lock to his locker, something slipped out but he was able to catch it before it fell to the ground.
It was a small, plain sheet of paper folded in half.
Adam scrutinized it for a bit, '...It can't be…already?'
'A confession letter?' he wondered.
The black-haired teen was no stranger to those. Being the first and only male student of St. Freya had its perks…if one could call it that. The most recent one he had received was five days before his fateful mission to St. Fontaine.
He unfolded the letter, and he had to admit, the handwriting was honestly pretty, there was a slight air of elegance to it.
[ Meet me on the rooftop at lunch ]
'...How original,' the boy deadpanned.
Soon enough, the students of Chiba Academy gathered in their classrooms as the first bells echoed through the pristine hallways.
There was a couple of minutes before class officially began. While Class 2-C's teacher, Amano, was writing their schedule on the board, Adam took the chance to cast a look over his shoulder to see if Miyuki was there so he could give her ID back to her. Among the desks in the back of the classroom, one stood out like a sore thumb, it was the only one empty.
'Guess she didn't come to school today.' thought Adam, turning his attention back to the board, 'Then again, her wounds looked pretty bad yesterday, so she might be resting instead,'
The morning classes proceeded as normal, physics and maths weren't his strong suit but he wasn't bad at them either. Eventually, the inevitable lunch bell rang. Adam drew a packaged red-bean paste bun from his bag and made his way out of the classroom. He might as well see who his first admirer was.
He climbed the stairs to the rooftop and pushed open the door revealing… no one.
The rooftop, barricaded by a chain-mesh fence for safety, was empty.
Adam with the sweet bun in his mouth stepped out into the open and looked around. He even strolled around in a circle but still found no signs of life aside from a couple of sparrows that promptly flew away before he could get close.
Maybe the one who sent him the letter was just shy and was preparing their nerves? Or maybe it was just a prank?
Adam shrugged, the scenery up here wasn't that bad. He could see the skyline of the main city of Nagazora in the distance, along with the river canal that ran between the school and the business districts.
As he savored the taste of his bun, he heard the door to the rooftop open and close.
'Finally,'
He turned around to see who it was, and when he did, he froze, with his eyes widening at the same time.
She brushed a strand of dark-purple hair out of her face as the wind blew past.
A familiar, yet foreign set of amethyst eyes gazed directly at him.
With her beautiful, kind-hearted smile, she approached him and with each step, Adam had to stop himself from jumping off the roof to escape.
As much as he'd hate to admit it, and despite how many simulations he had played in his mind, he very quickly realized that he was nowhere near ready to face the younger version of his Squad Leader just yet. Especially in a one-on-one scenario such as the one he was in right now.
"I'm so glad you received my message, Adam-san," she said, stopping a couple of feet in front of him.
"Father told me that you're my new bodyguard,"
Adam couldn't speak and could only stiffly nod in confirmation.
"You don't have to be so nervous, Adam-san, we're in the same class and we're the same age aren't we?"
"U-Um…I…ah…," the black-haired teen sheepishly scratched the back of his head and averted his gaze.
"Well, I apologize on my father's behalf for not introducing us to each other earlier and under more comfortable circumstances," she politely bowed which Adam quickly returned.
"So please, allow me to formally introduce myself now," she said as she straightened back up and placed a slender hand over her chest.
"My name is Raiden Mei, I hope we can get along,"
Chapter 3 - First Snow in Autumn I
With the conclusion of the third chapter, Adam's life at Chiba Academy has officially begun.
There was that segment at the start where it was written from Mei's perspective, so I really hope I got her characterization correct.
Adam is still seen to be unsure what to feel about all this. Especially now that Mei is in such close proximity. Personally, I feel like it wouldn't make sense if Adam and Mei became friends so quickly, seeing as in a sense they're both complete strangers. With Adam only knowing the Future Mei and Past Mei not knowing him at all.
Make no mistake, Mei is still the mei(n)...sorry I had to….anyway, Mei is still very much the primary focus of the entire Nagazora Arc. So I've decided to build her relationship with Adam at a bit of a slower pace.
Speaking of the Nagazora Arc, it will be split into two halves. The first will be the [ Asakura Arc ], (hence the chapter title), which should be around ten chapters approximately, including this one. And I know I just said that Mei is the focus of Nagazora, however, she won't be as prominent during the first half. In the second half, however…. Ehe~.
I'm not going to talk much about Miyuki, we'll be seeing more of her during the first half so more on her will be revealed then.
Fu Hua also made her appearance in this chapter, albeit it was only in a flashback scene. Gone back to her old ways of taking in orphans. And I'm not gonna lie, there were three completely different ways that scene could've played out…and was also why this chapter wasn't updated sooner. Anyway, it's revealed that she was the one who trained Adam when he was younger. The exact details of how they met won't be revealed for a while. Finally, I will say, that there is more to Adam and Fu Hua's relationship than what we see…like a lot more. But once again, those details will be revealed in the future.
Once again I would like to thank all the readers who have supported [ Starchaser ]. And it's that support that is fueling the motivation to continue updating the story.
Anyway, that's all for Chapter 3. If you enjoyed it, please leave a follow/favorite/review, they're all greatly appreciated. If you have any questions or theories, or just want some spoilers, simply PM me and I'll do my best to respond to each of them.
Until Next Time!